Hub units for vehicle wheels are not new per se. Typical of the prior are units are shown in patents such as the OSHIAKI, U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,371 for ROLLING BEARING UNIT FOR VEHICLE WHEEL issued Mar. 14, 2000 and the Evans, U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,695 for ROLLING BEARING issued Jan. 8, 1982. As shown in these patents, the hub units typically comprise a generally cylindrical hub having a radially outwardly directed flange for mounting to a wheel of a vehicle via a series of circumferentially spaced bolt holes accommodating lugs or studs for supporting the wheel. A pair of axially spaced rows of bearings support the wheel for rotation between an outer ring having internal raceways for the rolling elements. In the Yoshiaki '371 patent, the bearing support comprises a row of balls and a row of tapered rollers.
Even though these hub assemblies are generally satisfactory for the intended purpose, the present invention is an improvement in hub assemblies of this general type and is characterized by novel features of construction and arrangement providing functional advantages over the prior art such as a more balanced load distribution on the bearings and what is termed a “stiffer” hub reducing bending moments particularly beneficial in cornering maneuvers.